27x04 - Grievance Culture - Part 2

[bunniefuu]

He fell, hit his head

on the way down and drowned.

Tell me who k*lled my husband.

GABRIEL: I want to fight just once.

I want to know what it feels like.

VANESSA: I like older guys.

They've got

..more depth.

We need to reschedule,

when Cara can make it.

This doesn't feel right.

You'll make a fantastic dean.

Good luck, Professor.

CHERRY: Justice and fairness

are our responsibility, not grievance.

I've been appointed Dean

of the School of Criminology.

- I know him.

- He was on the interview panel.

What makes you think

you're fit to judge anyone?

SCREAMING

SLOW BREATHING

STEADY HEARTBEAT THUMPS

CHERRY: Who is it?

Who are these others

who send you fleeing

for the comfort of people

who look like you do,

speak like you do, think like you do

for fear of being threatened by opinions,

wounded by words,

offended by attitudes,

damaged by differences?

We wouldn't want you

to be triggered, would we?

What is this word, "triggered"?

I want to trigger you!

I want to challenge you.

I want you to think!

Haidar, what is groupthink?

When a group of people

make irrational or substandard decisions

motivated by the desire to conform,

or the belief that dissent

isn't an option.

And how can you be an investigator

if you're a victim of groupthink?

You can't.

You can't!

But I see groupthink everywhere

in your generation.

Social media has made you a herd

and reduced your individuality

to a data point.

You are the progressive census

who have traded freedom of thought

for a reassuring echo chamber.

Are those who enable this behaviour,

who institutionalise it, the enemy?

They preside over the death of empathy.

I cannot understand you unless I am you.

You have allowed yourselves to be siloed

into affinity groups,

demographic categories

where an algorithm can mine your data

and produce content

which fills you with hate or fear.

Or both.

And you are content to live that way,

believing that you're in charge

of your lives

when, in fact,

you have handed them over

to a closed-minded insularity.

SHE MURMURS: What a load of crap.

QUIET LAUGHTER

POLICE RADIO CHATTER

RATTLING

Nikki?

Jesus.

Yeah, I saw it.

- You've taken a video.

- Yeah.

- Can you help me?

- Mm-hm.

NIKKI: The body was found

in the procubitus position

on the kitchen floor,

suggesting that the victim

could have been trying to escape

from the fire by crawling.

There were severe skin burn injuries.

The body is extensively charred,

so conventional visual

identification is not possible.

Skin and soft tissues

have been burnt off,

resulting in skeletal muscle exposure.

Heat-related lesions

have exposed the skull,

where bone lesions are visible.

BULL: The fire investigator says

the fire originated in the kitchen,

on the gas hob.

We think it was a pan of cooking oil.

Accident?

The response time

of the fire brigade was good.

There's no evidence

of third-party involvement,

no other detectable injuries on the body

that the fire may have been

trying to disguise.

The fire inspector says

it was a kitchen fire

that b*rned out of control.

The heat was intense.

From what's left of the lungs,

it seems smoke inhalation,

carbon monoxide poisoning

is likely cause of death.

Why couldn't they escape?

Disorientation? We don't know.

Was that a metal belt buckle

burnt into the thigh?

Looks like it's from an overcoat

or a raincoat caught underneath

when they were trying

to crawl out of the room.

The fabric's b*rned away. What we're

left with is the buckle.

Do we know whether

it was a man or a woman?

The uterus is intact.

The house was owned by a woman.

Yeah. Her name is Valerie Fullerton.

It's likely to be her.

What?

Valerie Fullerton?

Yeah.

Gabriel?

Valerie Fullerton was also

on the interview panel

..with Harrison Cairney.

And both are dead.

What are the odds of that?

THUD

You dropped this.

Oh, thank you!

Harrison Cairney

No external injuries,

no initial indication

of alcohol or illegal drug use.

He tested positive for codeine,

but not in an amount

that would suggest abuse or addiction.

Full toxicology report is being prepared.

Did the scan reveal anything?

No visible signs of stroke

or myocardial infarction on the scan.

No marks on the body.

There's no physical evidence that places

anyone else at the scene.

He just d*ed?

Sometimes people just die

without an obvious cause.

Sometimes fires just happen.

He appears to have had

a sexual encounter in the sauna.

How do you know? Did you find love notes?

ej*cul*te on his thigh

and around his penis.

I'm glad I asked. Do you think the

scene may have been tampered with?

The absence of evidence is the evidence.

So what k*lled him, Doctor?

An earth-shattering orgasm?

Possibly.

Would that we could all go that way, eh?

HE CHUCKLES

Mmm.

Will you be doing a full post-mortem?

- If you ask me to.

- Yes, please.

PHONE VIBRATES

Jack.

We got a lead on the Robinson case.

So this is our swimmer's van.

- Lads.

- Sir.

We're looking for, I don't know,

su1c1de note, receipts,

invoices, quotes

Something that suggests

whether he was looking forward or back.

Spare set of keys from Mrs Robinson.

Coo, coo, ca-choo.

LOCK CLICKS

BULL: Nice family.

Signs of moderate coronary heart disease,

but it's consistent with his age.

Lung for histology.

Bull.

Could you take a sample

of the stomach content,

then close him up for me?

Well, he had plenty of work coming in.

Mm.

Appointments for estimates

well into next month.

Is there an address in there

for a job nearby?

No, not that I can see. Just initials.

- I'll tell you what

- Hmm?

You can't find an electrician

these days for love nor money.

Gets paid nearly four grand

the day he goes missing.

Doesn't say who it's from. Cash, maybe?

Oh, builders love cash.

Checked his account?

Yeah. No recent deposits.

Cash makes him a target.

I knew a local chap

who had ten grand taken off him

by Albanian labourers

on a site he was working on.

They followed him home, jumped him,

took his money

and pissed off back to Albania.

Not that you've got anything

against Albanians.

I don't, but I imagine he does.

I was having to do all the work for her.

And I don't mind, really.

It's kind of like, you know,

being a good person to help her.

But it's not really fair, is it?

Hi.

Do you want to sit with us?

Don't worry. She didn't hear me, did she?

Sit?

Why?

OK.

Read my lips.

Because he's a w*nk*r.

Because he's a seedy, gross old guy

who sends me a text

and tries to get me alone and drunk

so he can grope me.

Did you understand that?

Shall I write it down?

What's up, champ?

Jack.

I've just been copied into an email.

Were you advising a student

at the university?

They've made a complaint against you.

Hmm.

That's a lot of crap, is what that is.

Um

How well do you know Vanessa Miller?

- Were you alone with her?

- Are you serious?

I have to be.

People that make false accusations

are dangerous.

What should I do?

Fundamentals make the fighter.

Stick to the basics.

On your toes, chin in.

Protect your head. Hands up.

Gotta be faster than that.

Speed and strength equals power.

Nice. That was good. Good.

Good, Prof.

Oh, sugar.

I'm sorry.

Are you OK?

Right. I'm calling this. That's it. Done.

- I'm good.

- Sure?

Come on. Come on.

Protect your head.

There is nothing conclusive.

The cause of Cairney's death

remains unascertained.

Nothing in the contents of his stomach?

Did he eat anything dodgy?

Oats. Nothing of note.

Well, at least he got his oats.

- Toxicology.

- Nothing unusual.

Except he's dead!

Is that how good we are?

Someone's unexplainably dead,

and there's nothing unusual?

HE SIGHS

I love this view. It's a wonderful view.

You know what the view from my office is?

An exhaust vent.

I think we'd have better police

officers if we had better views.

Mind you,

there's some great views

from the top floors

of the old Brompton building.

31 floors,

117 metres high.

Great views.

The old counter-terror boys

have got those.

See, counter-terror -

oh, that's where it's at.

Clear-cut good and evil.

Don't have to watch what you say.

None of this "Oh, you've offended

me" nonsense.

That ship sailed without me on it.

BULL SIGHS

Nothing unusual.

Surely there's something - anything -

that I'd find unusual.

Who else was on that panel?

Morning.

BULL: I need you to arrange

a uniform drive-by

for an Elizabeth Newport

to start right away.

Yeah, I'll send you the address.

- Mrs Newport?

- Miss.

OK.

Hello, Gabriel.

- Could we have a word, please?

- Yes, of course.

What is it?

And Valerie?

Both of them?

Could be a coincidence.

Gabriel?

Do you believe in coincidence?

Do you know somebody who could

have a grievance against them?

A grievance against you

or the professor here?

Who?

It's impossible.

You need to tell me.

Peter Cherry was very upset

he wasn't selected.

Peter Cherry? Give me a break.

He made a number of accusations.

Does that make him a k*ller?

No, it gives him a grievance.

He was clearly the most experienced,

in and out of the lecture hall.

- No offence, Gabriel.

- None taken.

But we didn't feel

he was the most suitable.

Why wasn't he suitable?

He had views that were controversial.

On a postmortem table,

you are either a man or a woman

or a biological anomaly.

There was a complaint by a student.

Everything else is human construct.

It was conforming to a repressive

binary view of gender.

What?

People should be able to live

as they want, love who they want.

We're not talking about living or loving.

He's not talking about gender.

He's talking about a dead body.

It's biological sex -

it's scientific fact.

Has a student ever done a postmortem?

It set off a chain of events -

social media, protests.

Do you think he said something wrong?

No

But you didn't defend

his right to say it.

HE CLICKS HIS TONGUE

The panel didn't feel

comfortable appointing him

and believed Professor Folukoya

to be the better candidate.

He was more thoughtful, more likely

to bring colleagues with him

Thanks, but two of our colleagues

are dead.

Do any of us think

it's simply a coincidence?

Hold off on making any announcements

about Professor Folukoya,

just in case it paints

a target on his back.

It's already on Twitter.

This Cherry Did he thr*aten you?

No.

Do you think he could be dangerous?

Yes.

Right.

We either eliminate him

or find a connection.

If you'll forgive me,

I have got class.

CHERRY: There were 677 homicides

in the UK last year.

That's the highest number since 2008.

What percentage of those homicides

will have no suspect charged

after three years?

Anyone?

- Celeste?

- 20%.

20%.

So if there's not enough

evidence to charge,

is that the fault of the police?

Is it our fault as investigators,

our inadequacy in supporting

the investigation?

The truth is -

and don't share this around -

all of you in this room

will have the skills,

when you have finished this course,

to commit a homicide

and get away with it.

- What are we looking for?

- I'm not sure.

We need something that tells us

about something that we

don't know we're looking for.

HE LAUGHS SOFTLY

I'd like to prove

this wasn't an accident.

So she comes home

..starts cooking her tea,

sets herself on fire

SHE SCREAMS

..dies.

What was she cooking?

Was there anything left of the pan?

Was there any residue

in the pan that resembled food?

There was oil in the pan.

PAN SIZZLES

She wasn't sauteing onions,

frying chicken?

There was no extant residue in the pan.

Just the oil.

Still had her coat on when she d*ed.

You come home,

fill a pan with oil,

heat it until it boils,

and never take your overcoat off?

Mm-hm.

Have you looked in the fridge?

Mushrooms.

Call the council?

Yeah.

JACK: Health spa.

Harrison Cairney enters.

37 minutes later

Peter Cherry enters.

- You can place him in the building?

- At the same time.

But not in the sauna.

University students and staff

both use the health spa and gym.

Yes.

So do we make everyone at the gym

a person of interest?

Well, wait. Jack, go ahead. Look at this.

Valerie Fullerton picking up vegetables.

JACK: Look who she's talking to.

Peter Cherry.

He went to find them both.

Then they d*ed.

Unusual.

LINE RINGS

Nikki, can I see the tox report

on Cairney?

It's positive. It's GHB.

It was in his water.

The k*ller's let us know

there's foul play,

but has made sure

we can't prove who's responsible.

Did he do it himself, or was he spiked?

- How can we tell you that?

- You can't.

PROTESTORS MURMUR

- Peter Cherry, nice to meet you.

- Dr Alexander.

Women always go to their title,

don't they?

In case men don't think they have one.

HE LAUGHS

I like you. You remind me of someone.

And you're Gabriel Folukoya.

- Hello. Nice to meet you.

- Hi.

I believe you pipped me

to the post at the Dean's job,

or so Twitter tells me.

Apparently. Nice to meet you.

- Mm.

- Jack Hodgson.

- Oh, you were in one of my classes!

- Yes, I was. I loved it.

Yeah, that's

a few years ago now, isn't it?

- Just a few, yeah.

- Very earnest, as I recall.

- Still is.

- Hmm.

- And very talented.

- Let's not overdo it.

All right!

The Detective Inspector

has suggested that

that you might need my help

with a case review.

Is it a cold case?

No, it's still an active investigation.

Oh, really?

Have you heard that Harrison Cairney

and Valerie Fullerton have both d*ed

in the last 72 hours?

Both of them?

We've reached an impasse

and we wanted to make sure

we've considered all our options.

Your options?

Did you know either of them?

Yes, I did, which you know,

which is why you're here.

I went to visit both of them

in the last 72 hours

to let them know that I thought

their decision to appoint

Professor Folukoya was wrong-headed.

- No offence, Professor.

- No.

I think you intended to offend.

Perhaps I did.

I guarantee you -

everything I am, I've earned.

I expect you have.

So I'm part of the case review.

Am I your only suspect?

All right.

I'll give you

a quick case review for free.

The reason why you haven't got

enough to charge me

is not because you are inadequate,

it's because I didn't do it!

I think we're done.

GABRIEL: We should never have gone.

We alerted him to our suspicion.

I just wanted to see how he'd react.

Did it tell you anything?

Look, I know you're worried, Professor,

and I don't blame you.

But I'll make sure we have eyes on you.

PHONE VIBRATES

Sorry.

Hello?

Don't worry,

I'll go back and talk to him,

get his prints, swab them for DNA.

I'll go.

Huh?

Why do you think he'll talk to you?

He said he likes me.

PROTESTORS DISCUSS AMONG THEMSELVES

Thanks for allowing me

to come back and see you.

You knew I would -

I have nothing to fear.

Prints first or swab?

Not bothered.

We're all so good at swabs now

since Covid, aren't we?

Tell me, in your experience,

which I expect is estimable,

have you ever come across individuals

who you find utterly loathsome,

representing everything wrong

with the human experience?

Maybe one or two.

Maybe more. I've been at this a while.

Cairney was one of those -

horrible man with a zipper problem

and a penchant for undergraduates.

He had this strange,

inflated view of himself -

a handsome caped crusader

who the girls couldn't resist.

I bet you could have resisted him.

Who knows? Left hand, please.

Superman is just a tuppenny rehashing

of Judeo-Christian messiah mythology.

Man comes down to Earth to save mankind.

Satan becomes Kryptonite.

Black and white, good and evil.

Not much nuance to it.

But then we live in an age

of little nuance, don't we?

DOOR BANGS OPEN

PROTESTORS: Cherry, out!

Cherry, out! Cherry, out!

Cherry, out! Cherry, out!

Cherry, out! Cherry, out!

I didn't m*rder him, you know.

Although I would have liked to.

Do you think maybe he took his own life?

- Why would you ask that?

- Well, they trip on their vanity

and fall on their arrogance, don't they?

Marriage not good.

Shagging around. He's got the crosshairs

of Me Too tattooed on his forehead.

Yes, you could make a good argument

for self-inflicted harm.

White man in his fifties,

highest increase in incidence -

nearly 15% now.

Men taking their own lives

in that age demographic is common,

even if there's no prior signs.

Sad, but true.

See, they see the world

closing in on them,

just like Cairney did.

I don't take a view on that.

Do you take a view on anything?

Yeah, I'm taking one right now.

CHERRY LAUGHS

You remind me of my wife.

My late wife.

Not the way you look,

the way you reduce things,

the way you poke.

I admired her for that.

She was quick. She was a woman

of enormous talent.

Not recognised enough for her work.

A woman of the mind.

Glioblastoma.

A perverse disease designed to torment

a thoughtful and talented woman like her

and inflict the maximum pain

and heartache.

She never complained.

Didn't blame the doctors

or government or me or

..God.

She didn't seek refuge from offence

or to keep from being triggered

or needing a safe space.

People who endure hardship

know that no such place exists.

They know that the world

is mean and cruel.

Joy, in all its infinite space,

is to be celebrated.

And death is endless.

I'm sorry. That was

rather indulgent.

So you've no idea how he d*ed?

- No.

- Did you find anything unusual?

There was GHB in his water.

You don't believe I k*lled him, do you?

Not for me to decide.

Or you wouldn't have told me that.

You need to leave now.

LEADER: Cherry!

PROTESTORS: Out!

- Cherry!

- Out!

- Cherry! Cherry! Cherry!

- Out! Out! Out!

Thanks.

SHOUTING OUTSIDE CONTINUES

Cherry, Cherry, Cherry!

Out, out, out!

Cherry, Cherry, Cherry!

Out, out, out!

Cherry! Out!

- Cherry!

- Out!

- Cherry!

- Out!

- Cherry!

- Out!

SHOUTING ECHOES

SHE SCREAMS

Help!

SHE SCREAMS

MUFFLED CRIES

MUFFLED SCREAMS

PHONE BUZZES

PHONE PINGS

Just got a pin from Cara.

- So did I.

- That's not good.

- Nothing.

- Message failed.

BOOING

How brave of you to show your faces,

to believe in something so passionately

that you remain anonymous.

Social norms may change.

Government may change.

Legislation changes.

Fairness does not change.

But your fast fashion,

virtual disposable society

has abandoned fairness.

You think you're protecting it?

You're not.

You are the repressive people

we were warned about

PROTESTORS CHANT: Out! Out! Out!

..the ones who despise

freedom of expression

and have condemned yourself

to be slaves to ideology.

Out! Out! Out!

The devil comes in the disguise

of everything you've ever wished for.

Get back inside, old man!

CROWD JEER

VANESSA PANTS

SHE SCREAMS AND SOBS

No, no!

ZIP TIES TIGHTEN

PANICKED BREATHING

We know it was you.

We know you made the complaint

about Professor Cherry.

Please. Please. Don't hurt me, please.

You don't have a positive belief

about anything, do you?

Nothing that you want to build,

only things that you want

to complain about, tear down.

You destroyed him.

He's a great man.

You are nothing.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please.

Let me go, please.

This won't hurt.

When someone is wronged,

justice should be done.

And fairness, not mercy,

should be the measure.

What punishment do you deserve for

destroying someone's reputation?

For destroying someone's life?

What punishment would be fair?

Laughing gas.

We thought that would be fair.

No!

DOOR OPENS

Help!

She didn't do anything!

- She's a witness!

- Help!

SHE CRIES OU

PROTESTORS: Cherry, out! Cherry, out!

Cherry, out! Cherry, out! Cherry, out!

Cherry, out!

This way.

PANICKED CRIES

I can't do this. Not both of them.

No, please. Stop, please.

No! No!

No-o-o!

No! No

No!

No! No!

GAS HISSES

MUFFLED SOBS

CARA SCREAMS

DOOR OPENS

What the hell is going on?

Cara?

What the hell have you given them?

SHE GASPS

OK. OK, OK.

It's OK. It's OK.

I'm here. I'm here.

No!

This is over. Swear to God if you move

NIKKI: Are you all right?

ZIP TIES SNAP

SOBBING

It's OK.

Come on. Come on.

It's OK. It's OK.

Come here. Come here. It's OK.

It's all right.

SHE SOBS

VOICEMAIL: Hi, this is Dr Nikki

Alexander. Please leave a message.

I know who m*rder*d Harrison Cairney

and Valerie Fullerton.

And I know that I'm responsible.

Can you get in the car, please?

Thank you. I just need you

to make a statement.

OK.

Sorry.

DOOR LOCK BEEPS

No!

She explains in the paper

how GHB, nitrous oxide and other dr*gs

can be used to cause death

without detection.

She wrote a paper about a crime

she was going to commit?

And Cherry realised that.

KNOCK AT DOOR

- Are you decent?

- Come in.

Oh. You about to cut him up?

- Postmortem.

- Yeah, that's what I meant.

Never as dark as people think, yeah?

Darkness comes before the dawn.

Sometimes you wish

you could just be there,

grab 'em, say there is support.

There is someone to talk to.

Cherry.

That electrician bloke. Robinson.

Robinson?

I have a moral problem.

I imagine more than one.

Mrs Elaine Robinson

is the beneficiary

of nearly 2 million quid

in life insurance policies

taken out by her late husband.

He was worth a lot more dead

than he was alive.

Are you thinking she k*lled him?

- No.

- Good.

Because I sat with her

as she sobbed over her loss,

and I didn't think it was a show.

Maybe she's a good actress.

Maybe she's profoundly sad.

Well, I'm thinking it's fraud.

Of course you are. You're a cop.

Well, he bought the policy during Covid.

His business was hanging by a thread.

He's still in massive debt.

Dying was quite useful for him.

Except that he's dead,

which, generally speaking,

isn't all that useful.

Well, there is that, yeah.

Jack said he thought he was assaulted

for the cash he was carrying.

I could go either way with this.

It depends on how you look at it.

I know the insurance company

will be quite keen

to hear he'd taken his own life.

Really? What's their interest?

The coroner will decide.

Yeah, on our recommendation.

What is our recommendation?

CHERRY: Dear Professor Folukoya,

I am writing to highly recommend

Cara Connelly, a student of mine,

for a work placement.

Cara is an outstanding student.

I have no doubt she will make

a substantial contribution

to the work of your team

and to the life of the Lyell Centre.

Postmortem of Peter Cherry,

a 65-year-old white male.

DOOR LOCK BUZZES

Elaine!

Sorry to bother you.

It's just

Well

I needed to know whether you know

how my husband d*ed.

The insurance companies won't pay.

They say he may have taken his own life,

and, er

..we're going to lose the house.

We lost nearly everything

in Covid and all.

My husband, he borrowed

against the house.

Victims of long Covid.

My husband,

he took the policies out

to protect his family,

to protect us.

That's what men do.

A decision is made based on the evidence.

There'll be a decision soon.

ELAINE WHIMPERS SOFTLY

DOOR LOCK BUZZES

That was a bit cold, wasn't it?

I know how the decision is made,

and I know what the evidence is.

And I know that

there's no definitive evidence

of self-harm.

That OK with you?

Can we talk about sport?

Three rounds. Nine minutes.

That's your goal, all right?

That's your only goal.

All right, I want you to stay on

your toes and dance.

Nine minutes of dancing.

If you can get him an early punch,

you'll make him think twice

about coming forward.

All right?

CROWD SHOUT OUTSIDE

It's all right to be nervous.

Healthy respect for your opponent.

You've got to make the nerves

work for you, though. Yeah?

Keep you sharp.

God knows why I'm doing this.

Then stop.

Don't do it. No-one's making you.

You're right. I can stop.

I don't need to be doing this.

Want me to go tell 'em it's off?

I'll tell them.

DOOR OPENS

No.

No, don't.

It's just sport.

A chance to test yourself,

that's all it is.

This is more than a sport to me.

I live here.

For nine minutes,

I want to live here.

MAN: Time to go, boys. You're on.

BELL RINGS

You're about to.

Good.

Prof, here we go.

- Ready?

- Mm-hm.

All right, you got this. Go on.

REFEREE: Boxers

- Oh, Jesus, here we go.

- Right, lads.

I want a nice clean fight.

Listen to my instructions

and protect yourselves at all times.

Now, touch gloves.

BELL RINGS

Come on now, Prof.

That's it. That's it, move.

Hands up. Hands up.

Protect yourself.

That's it. That's it.

That's it. That's it.

BELL RINGS

Right.

All right. You did it

right there. Take some water.

Hey?

There you go. Remember to breathe. OK?

Glad you did this? Fight now, boy.

Keep those hands up.

Keep moving. Keep dancing. Breathe.

You got this, OK? Let's go. Round two.

BELL RINGS

Box!

Jab. Jab. You're out of it.

Protect your head!

Hands up. Come on.

Defend yourself. Defend yourself.

Get your hands up. Defend that head.

Now, break. Break!

BELL RINGS

Three minutes. All right? Hands up.

Hands up. OK? Mm-hm.

BELL RINGS

Let's go.

You can do it.

REFEREE: ..two, three

Come on.

- five

- Come on. Yes!

- six

- Come on.

Yes! Come on.

Get him in the corner. That's it.

BELL RINGS

And your winner

CROWD ROAR

- You did it. You did it!

- OK.

You made it!

How do you feel?

- Alive? Do you feel alive now?

- Yeah.

You had enough?

- I see it. You see it?

- Yeah, I see it.

- You want me to do it?

- No, I got it.

- Are you sure?

- Yes.

Oh!

HIS FEET THUMP

You got it.

- Bollocks!

- Yeah, I got it.